Best way to hear a compressor on tracks

[Chris T]

I've recorded 6 tracks of my drums on a 16 track all in one unit, Not sure if I can mention the brand name here without getting into trouble - , but Now I want to hear those tracks through an Outboard Compressor, not the internal one in the Zoom R-16. I figured I'd take the Main Outs from this 16 track recorder , L & R , and input them into the Compressor, then Out from the compressor and back into a channel in the 16 track recorder so I can now hear the effects of the compressor on the individual tracks. First, is this stupid because there's an easier/smarter way, and 2 Using the outputs means I can't use my speakers, only headphones... Any Better Suggestions for learning how to compress individual recorded drum tracks without a computer ?? Thanx.

 

[Robus]

Given what you're using, sounds like a reasonable plan. You can always record the compressed signal to two empty tracks and then listen back through your monitors.

Or for that matter, as long as you've got enough empty tracks, you could compress all the individual drum parts in separate passes, recorded to individual tracks. That would let you use different settings for different pieces of the kit.

You might find that some elements of the drum kit like kick and snare benefit more from compression than others, so don't feel you must compress everything.

 

[Chris T]

Yes, Thank you , But is there a way , maybe through another piece of gear I need to buy , that I can do this type of thing but still connect my speakers/Studio monitors ? I was thinking of a separate mixing board where I can output my main 16 tracks outputs into the mixers 2-track in, then use an insert into the compressor and hook up the speakers to the Mixing Boards Main Outs .???? But I'm not sure how that would be connected or if it's safe. - Thank you for responding.